The Illicit Antiquities Trade

Cultural heritage is being stolen and illegally exported on a massive scale. While black market figures are difficult to estimate, traffickers are thought to earn billions annually. However, the impact of the trade cannot simply be measured quantitatively, but must also be measured by its cultural impact. The following pages examine the wide ranging impact of looting.

Stages of Transnational Trafficking

Stolen artifacts are transferred through three stages to reach the legal market- looting, smuggling, and laundering- before reaching the fourth and final stage: purchase by a collector or museum. Each stage contains one or more individuals.

Stage 1

Looting

Risk95%

Earnings1%

Specialization5%

Stage 2

Smuggling

Risk98%

Earnings10%

Specialization40%

Stage 3

Laundering

Risk10%

Earnings90%

Specialization80%

Understanding the Trafficking of Cultural Heritage

About This Site

This is a web adaptation of the academic article, "The Illicit Antiquities Trade as a Transnational Criminal Network," publish in the International Journal of Cultural Property. It is an outreach initiative to disseminate academic research to the public.